The Black Effect 2, page 13
Until that time came, I was going to focus on Amai. I prayed that she would recover and that she didn’t suffer any permanent damage. I had failed her. In spite of the fact that I was no longer her husband, I should’ve done a better job shielding her from the cruel people of the city. I had to live with that, and I was going to make sure she was protected from here on out.
My heavy lids slowly opened as I tried to focus straight ahead. I felt woozy and out of place as I blinked to get a clear vision of where I was. The room that I was in didn’t look familiar. My eyes wandered around trying to see anything that was remotely recognizing. I saw nothing, but when I looked to my left, I noticed him, sitting in the chair, while tapping quickly on his phone screen.
My mind was sent reeling. I wondered why, Nadir—of all people—was next to me in this quiet space that resembled a bedroom. I opened my mouth, but it was so dry that I quickly closed it. I felt like a vegetable as I attempted to move my arm. Nothing seemed to work. I felt like I had been drugged and that I was living in a fucking dream. Nadir must've noticed me trying to move because his eyes landed on me. The last time I looked into this man’s eyes, I saw hatred and pain. Now, as he stared at me with those dark-hued orbs, I saw something I hadn’t seen from him in months, which was concern.
Nadir didn’t say anything right away. He just took his time looking at me while I did the same. Nothing was said as we exchanged glances. I wasn’t going to open my mouth and say anything. I wanted him to be the one to do it. I was the first to break our staring match as I felt a soreness in my back. My jaw was hurting and suddenly, I was hit with a headache that almost brought me to tears.
Nadir stood from his chair, still not uttering a word to me. He walked out the room and minutes later, a black man dressed in scrubs came inside.
“Hello, Mrs. Black. I'm Dr. Hyde. Tell me how you feel.”
I swallowed what little saliva I had in my mouth and said, “Pain.”
“You're in pain? Can you tell me where the pain is located?”
I swallowed again. “My back and jaw… and my head hurts.”
“Okay,” Dr. Hyde nodded. “I'm going to get the nurse to come in and check your vitals, and then we’ll get you something for the pain.”
I looked straight ahead as the doctor left the room. Just like before, the space became engulfed with silence. Again, it was awkward because I could feel Nadir’s eyes on me. My thoughts immediately drifted back to the scariest night of my life. The night where I knew I wouldn’t make it out alive. I questioned if I had done the right thing by jumping out of the truck. My personal information had been left inside. Such as my wallet that held my driver’s license and all of my credit/debit cards. The people who robbed me knew where I lived. They had my truck, and I was fearful that they would come back and finish what they’d started.
“Amai.”
A chill raced through my body at the sound of his bass-filled baritone. I hadn’t heard his voice since that disastrous meeting with his lawyer. His tone had haunted me, but not in a bad way. I’d secretly missed it and heard it sometimes in my dreams. My eyes wandered over to him as he leaned forward on his elbows.
“Do you remember what happened to you?”
I, unfortunately, remembered every single detail of my attack. I recalled every slap that had been delivered to my face. The taste of blood was still potent in my mouth. Remembering what happened to me would always be a nightmare because the memories were so vivid.
“Do you, Amai?”
I focused my attention back on him and nodded.
“You gotta tell me exactly what happened. I need to know every part of what they did to you.”
“I was scared,” I muttered. “They came out of nowhere.”
“Where were you when they attacked you?”
“I was home… I was getting out of the car in the garage.”
“So, they were in the garage waiting for you?” Nadir quizzed.
I nodded. “Yeah, and I don’t know how they got inside. I know I closed the garage door before I drove off earlier.”
“Who knows where you live?”
“No one.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You sure?”
“Yes… well, no. I take that back. My father did go with me when I went to see the townhouse. Other than that, nobody knows where I live.”
I never had company over. Not even Canton knew where I resided. I trusted him, but I just wanted my place to myself before I opened it up to any visitors.
“Where were you coming from?” Nadir interrogated.
“I went to the gym and then stopped at the grocery store before I went home.”
I watched as he pulled on the hairs of his beard. He was in deep thought; I could tell by the way his eyes were trained to the floor.
“They have my truck, Nadir. I jumped out while they were driving and I'm sure they still have it.”
“They dumped it,” he revealed. “We found it abandoned by the highway.”
I pondered that information, wishing that the two men had been caught. They had scarred me for life. I didn’t think I would ever get over being beaten and shot like this.
“So, how many niggas was it?”
“It was two… they also mentioned you.”
His eyes turned cold. “What did they say?”
“They knew I had been married to you, and they kept saying you left me some money. When I told them that you didn’t, they started hitting me. At first, they slapped me, and then the one guy started hitting me with a gun. Then they told me to give them your number, so they could demand a ransom.”
“Fuck,” he whispered harshly. “You didn’t see their faces?”
“No, they were wearing ski masks. I remember their voices, but that’s about it.”
He was quiet again, and I was consumed with the images of being hit with a gun repeatedly. That had to be the most horrific scene I’d ever experienced. I couldn’t even blink without seeing images of them slapping me around.
“Nadir,” I said softly.
“Yeah.”
“How did I get with you?”
He eyed me briefly before sighing. “Somebody recognized you from being with me. They called Domino, and then he called me. He took you to his private clinic, and now you're back in the guest house.”
“Wait, I'm back on your estate?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, is that cool?”
I didn’t have an answer. Before this happened, I declared that I would never step foot on his property again. Not only was I back, but I was here in a very bad state. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. I was almost embarrassed to be back in Nadir’s presence with a bruised face and a fucked-up arm.
“…I'm sorry.”
My eyes expanded at his words. Was this an apology coming from Nadir Black’s mouth? He never would apologize in the past because he always deemed himself to be right all the time.
“Why are you sorry?” I had to know.
“Because… I shouldn’t have thrown you away like I did. I should’ve made sure you were straight and protected. This shit is my fault, and I'm sorry you had to go through this.”
I didn’t know how to respond to his words. This was new for me. I wasn’t used to him, of all people, apologizing and it being so sincere.
“You can’t go back to your house, Amai, especially since they attacked you from there. You're gonna have to lay low for a minute until we find out who did this to you.”
I was aware of that. There was no way I could go back there and feel safe again. The only problem was where would I go. I wasn’t in the best condition to look for another place so soon. I even questioned if I did find another place, would I feel content living by myself again.
“For now, I want you to focus on healing, I’ll get you set up somewhere else.”
Never did I ever think I would be back in Nadir’s presence. We had left our marriage being sworn enemies. We both promised to never speak to one another again. There was once a time where I thought I couldn’t survive without him. I thought I would suffocate if he wasn’t by my side. I had finally began feeling okay without him. I learned how to live with myself and love on me for the first time in my life. Nadir had been categorized as my past, but now, here we were, together again but under horrible circumstances.
Nadir slowly swiped his tongue over his lips before his sight landed on me. “Amai, I know you're probably not going to want to do this but… I need you to stay here until I figure some shit out.”
I rolled my eyes at his request. “If you think I'm going to be anywhere near Jaide, you're out of your mind.”
I still hadn’t forgotten what she said to me when I first left Nadir. She had thrown some words that still burned me up to this day. Not being able to get pregnant had been an insecurity of mine that still bothered me. Jaide knew how badly I wanted to be a mom, and when she threw the fact that I wasn’t able to conceive in my face, I proclaimed I would never fuck with her again.
“You don’t have to deal with Jaide. I’ll keep y’all away from each other.”
I shook my head. “It’s not only her. I just don’t want to be here.”
“Well, where are you going to go?”
“A hotel.”
He smacked his lips. “So, you gon’ try to recover at a hotel? Amai, be for real.”
“I am being for real. Your family is the worst. Well, except Raye and the boys, but everybody else is trash. I don’t want them trying to come at me while I’m in this state.”
Nadir exhaled deeply before sitting back in his seat. He was annoyed, and I was adamant about not being here.
“I know it’s bad blood between us. I know you probably hate me because of how shit played out with us, but I already fucked up once, and I'm not trying to have you out here without protection. Let me just make sure you heal, and then you can go. I’ll even make sure your new place is safe for you. Just give me that, Amai.”
Nadir had made some good points, but I still didn’t want to be here. I didn’t trust Jaide, and I especially didn’t trust Lena’s ass. But I had to be realistic. I had nowhere to go that I would feel safe at. Even if I went to a hotel, I knew I would be paranoid as shit.
“I’ll stay until I get better, but after that, I'm gone.”
I had just placed my bowl into the sink when I got a call on my phone. I glanced at the screen and noticed my mama calling.
“What's up, Mama?” I answered.
“Good morning. How are you today?”
“I'm straight. What's going on?”
“I'm calling to tell you about your cousins.”
I released a heavy breath because I knew she was about to tell me some bullshit.
“What about them?”
“Where are they getting money from because I don’t see their asses clocking in at a job?”
Monica had no idea that her nephews were jack boys. I thought she would’ve had her suspicions early on, but she never said anything.
“I don’t know, Mama. Did you ask them?”
Despite me knowing what kind of activity they were involved in, I refused to snitch on them. I thought it would be better if my mother found out on her own rather than me putting a bug in her ear.
“Yes, I ask them all the time, and they tell me that they help do construction with some contractor. But I don’t believe them. Every time they come home, I don’t see any work boots or nothing. Hell, they don’t even have a speck of dirt on them, so I know that construction crap is some BS.”
“I mean, I don’t know. I for sure ain't giving them no money, so it’s not coming from me.”
“Well, they just came in here with all kinds of shopping bags. They even bought me a purse, and I know it wasn’t cheap.”
“What kind of bag was it?”
“A Chanel bag.”
They must've hit a lick…
“Those purses cost at least three G’s. I know that construction pays well, but it doesn’t pay that good.”
“See, that’s what I was saying. Now, I know they're feeding me some bullshit. Canton try to talk to them and see if you can get some information for me. I know they will tell you the truth.”
The last thing I wanted to do was get in the middle of this because I already knew what the hell Zay and Reem were into. I hated lying to my mama, but I didn’t want to get involved like that.
“We’ll see, Mama. I'm about to get ready to start my day. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, son. Bye.”
I shook my head as I put my phone on the counter and went to take a shower. I was set to meet Amai at the coffee shop and didn’t want to be late. Over the last two months, me and her had been bonding like friends, but I was ready to take shit to a different level. I had been patient, understanding, and considerate of what she had been through. I felt like I had put in my time as Amai’s friend, and now I was ready to be her man.
I knew I could do a better job than her ex at taking care of her heart. She deserved the world and not just a piece of it. I wanted her to see that with me is where she needed to be and that’s why I made the mental decision to tell her what was on my mind. It could either go really good or really bad. I figured I would throw caution to the wind and just reveal the feelings I had been concealing ever since we first connected.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone and left the house. I pulled up to the coffee shop and parked in front. When I entered, my eyes scanned the place for Amai, but I was disappointed when I didn’t see her.
“Where the hell she at?” I whispered, pulling out my phone.
I dialed Amai’s number but was greeted with her voicemail. I hung up and decided to shoot her a text, hoping that she would get back to me right away.
Me: Where are you?
The door chimed behind me, so I turned around with hopes that it was Amai, but I was let down to see Zay and Reem passing the threshold.
“What's up, cuz?” Reem greeted me.
I didn’t return the greeting. Instead, I took a seat and tried calling Amai again.
“Man stop sweatin’ that girl,” Zay said, sitting across from me.
“What girl?” I tried to play it off as I listened to her voicemail again.
“The orange-head broad,” Reem answered, sitting down. “She friend-zoned you, my nigga. Stop trying to be her man.”
Zay chortled. “This dude don’t even know when he’s been friend-zoned.”
I smacked my lips. “We’ve always been friends, so you telling me that don’t really mean shit.”
“Yeah, you're trying to sound cool, but you want to be her man. I be peepin’ the way you stare at her ass when she be up here. But she doesn’t look at you the same way. You will always be a friend, cuz.”
His words had placed me in a funk because he didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. Me and Amai shared a bond that they weren’t privy to. I refused to share that with them though because it wasn’t their business.
“Stay outta my fuckin’ business and mind your own. As a matter of fact, what's this shit I hear that you buying my mama Chanel bags and shit? Y’all hit another lick?”
Zay shook his head. “Hell nah. My homegirl a booster, and she hooked us up. Ain't that right, Reem?”
Reem nodded but his smirk was telling. “Yep.”
“You know she think y'all into some shady shit. She called me this morning and told me.”
Zay’s brows hiked. “What did you say to her? Did you tell her what we really be on?”
“Hell no, I didn’t tell her, but she's going to find out. Y’all need to stop doing that shit because you gon’ fuck with the wrong one and get fucked up. And I'm not coming to your aid either.”
“Man, we don’t need you to do shit for us,” Reem seethed. “We know how to handle ourselves, so you’ll never be needed.”
“You sure about that?” I challenged him.
“Yeah, we sure,” Zay replied. “Canton, we been doing this shit for a while. We know how to move and trust me, you ain't nobody we’re going to call when we’re in need.”
I chuckled because their young asses really thought they had it figured out. They were so stupid and stubborn that they thought they knew everything. Well, I was about to show them that I was still the one in charge of this family.
I leaned back in my seat and nodded. “I'm glad you told me that. That’s why I'm giving y’all a month to move outta my mama’s crib.”
Reem jerked his head back. “What?”
“You heard me. You have a month before I kick your asses out of her house. I mean, y’all both got it figured out, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?” I smirked.
“You can’t do that. Auntie won’t let you put us out.”
“Who the fuck you think pay bills around that bitch? It damn sure ain't neither one of you two. You think she's going to go against me when I'm the one that takes care of her? Well, let me answer that for you, she won’t. Now you got a month to get the fuck out her crib. I didn’t even want you two there because I didn’t want to risk y’all bringing heat to her house. So, you gotta go.”
I stood up to let them know that this conversation was officially over.
“Canton, are you serious right now?” Zay questioned.
“Yep,” I replied, walking toward the back.
I wanted them away from my mother. She was all that I had, and I would no longer risk her safety because my two cousins wanted to rob people. They could stick to their preferred occupation if they desired to, but they weren’t going to continue to do it, living with my mother.
I was relieved that Amai had reluctantly agreed to stay with me for a while. I knew she didn’t want to, but I couldn’t take a chance on anything happening to her while on my watch. I had made the terrible decision to leave her all alone, and now I had to somehow make up for it. While the nurses and doctor checked Amai out, I went back to the main house so I could show my face. My phone had been blowing up like crazy and because I was so consumed with Amai’s situation, I didn’t answer.
